Varanasi to use ropeway for public transportation

Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh will be the first Indian city to use the ropeway services in public transportation.

The project is all set to come up in a five km area between Cantt railway station and Godowlia. The ropeway service will begin with 220 cable cars, which will be available at each of the escalator-equipped four stations in a gap of 90 seconds.

These facts were revealed in the final presentation of over Rs 400 crore proposal of the ropeway service given by the team of WAPCOS. The presentation was placed before the officials in Varanasi.

The final proposal will be tabled before the state government for approval. After getting the government’s nod, the bidding process for the project to be executed on public-private partnership (PPP) mode will commence.

The ropeway service in five km area will start with 220 cable cars and each cable car will have 10 seats. As per the final alignment, the main terminus will be at Cantt railway station while other stations will be at Sajan, Rathyatra, and Girjaghar (Godowlia) crossings.

A turning line will be created between Cantt railway station and the Sajan crossing. Four stations of ropeway services pilot phase will be at the height of above 11 mtr and each station will be equipped with escalators. Following the finalization of alignment, only 29 buildings will come under it.

The ropeway service is being chosen for public transport under Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) in the densely populated and pilot project of the proposed service has been finalized by the agencies concerned with an aim to launch it in November 2022.

WAPCOS was appointed for the introduction of a ropeway in Kashi after the Ministry of Urban Development signaled for go-ahead in-principle with this mode of transportation under MRTS.

The Varanasi Development Authority had asked Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) to prepare a proposal by incorporating different means of transportation that remain feasible for the city.

source: https://www.constructionweekonline.in/